Royal Oak Bentleys Barbers gutted in suspicious fire, manager claims started by Molotov cocktails

Molotov cocktails were lobbed inside an Auckland barber shop, sparking a fire that has destroyed a haircutting premises, the building’s manager claims.

The fire, which broke out at 2.44am in Bentleys Barbers in Royal Oak, is being treated as arson.

This morning fire investigators and police officers were at the burnt-out business scouring for clues as who and what was responsible for the suspicious fire.

The building’s property manager told the Herald the building was set alight by Molotov cocktails thrown through the store’s smashed front windows.

He did not know why someone would target the shop, but “someone was clearly mad at them”.

”They are a nice family, they have been here for ages,” said the man, who did not want to be named.

A fire at Bentleys Barbers on Manukau Rd, Royal Oak, is being treated as arson. Photo / Alex Burton

The family had been at the police station today helping with the investigation.

Photos from the scene show the inside of the shop has been gutted by the fire. Charred chairs and blackened counters are all that remain of the business, while the footpath and road are strewn with debris.

The surrounding buildings, including a restaurant and a laundromat, suffered smoke damage in the blaze that firefighters contained to the middle store.

Bentleys Barbers shop manager has been approached for comment.

A police spokesperson would not confirm if the fire involved Molotov cocktails.

A fire at Bentleys Barbers shop has been blamed on arsonists hurling Molotov cocktails through the window. Photo / Alex Burton

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said four fire trucks were sent to the scene and the blaze was extinguished within half an hour.

Fire and Emergency northern shift manager Josh Pennefather said there was a residential property in the storey above the block of shops.

Everyone was able to get out of the burning building and there were no injuries, he said.

A police spokesperson said they are urging anyone with footage or information that may help their investigation to call them on 105 referencing file number 240731/8638.

Firefighters on the scene of the fire overnight. Photo Hayden Woodward.

It’s the latest barber shop to go up in flames across Auckland in recent years.

In January, a blaze destroyed One Two Uppercuts barber shop in Manurewa.

The fire, which started around 4am, was in a shop in the middle of a block at the intersection of Weymouth and Russell Rds.

At the time it was being treated as suspicious by police and fire investigators.

The most recent fires come three years after a tense gang war between the Rebels and the King Cobras gangs, where Molotov cocktails were hurled at rivalling businesses and homes.

The gang members also shot up homes and businesses during the turf war in 2021.

While the most public attacks were the shooting and arson of a barber shop and tattoo parlour in Māngere and a reciprocal attack on a bar in Manukau, the police have linked at least 15 incidents across the city to the gang war.

Several people were arrested in November 2021 during a spate of police stings across Auckland. They faced charges including meth supply, arson, and organised crime group participation.